A New Life to Protect
by Animegirl426
Summary: The arrival of a new life...Yusaku wished it had come under better circumstances. AoixYusaku!


**Animegirl426:** Sorry for the wait! Long story short: college, graduation, family vacation, job-hunting. I hope you all enjoy this story!

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise**_

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Yusaku sat in the waiting area. The white-walled room of the hospital waiting room so quiet that a pin could cut through the air. It had finally happened, his wife was going into labor, or more specifically, had been in labor for nearly five hours, and there was still no word or news of a baby or his wife's condition...just nurses rushing in and out of the room silently.

"Yusaku-kun, it'll be...okay..." Yusaku looked up to see the Kusanagi brothers and Jin's wife Miyu walking over, Jin holding a stuffed bear -obviously a present for the baby- in his arms, a pink ribbon around its neck. "Aoi-chan...will...live..." Jin quietly assured, the younger Kusanagi sibling sitting down next to the hacker.

"That's right! Aoi-chan's not one to give up easily!" Miyu added, smiling brightly. "After all, it's Aoi-chan!"

Yusaku gave the smallest of smiles as Jin and Miyu offered their condolences, soon seeing Takeru and his wife run over to him. All of their friends were there(With the exception of Akira and his wife due to them being overseas). "We came as soon as I got the message..." Takeru managed to collect his breath, pushing his glasses back up and looking at his friend. "Any news?"

"No...and they won't let me in." Yusaku gave somewhat of an irritated sigh, trying to stay calm and collected, but the fear of what could be happening in the other room was eating him alive.

They had been warned by the doctors; Aoi's body wasn't physically strong enough to handle the strain of childbirth, and Yusaku accredited that to Hanoi's bug they experimented on her with during their first few encounters. They had told them giving birth would end in one of three options; both Aoi and their child would live, one would die, or both would die...and the chance of both being alive was very slim. After hearing that, Yusaku was worried of such possibilities, not wanting to lose the woman who had brought light into his world...

But Aoi stood her ground and said she'd rather die than not try to do it and survive. Thankfully, nothing bad happened during the months she was pregnant, but now that it was time for the baby, to Yusaku, it felt like the world was putting so much pressure on her.

Yusaku managed to hear small murmurs from the other room; a muffled scream (Aoi most likely), then softer noises, but then there was silence. Unsettled, the hacker stood and made his way over to the door...

and just as he was about to open the door, a nurse came bursting out, stopping when she saw the husband of the patient.

"F-fujiki-san, please stay out here..." she spoke, Yusaku noticing that she was trying to keep calm...

and that did not bode well with Yusaku.

"What happened?!" Takeru asked, but Yusaku saw everything past the nurse; there in the room was Aoi on the bed, her skin looking as white as the sheets. A single noise that blared through the clammer of doctors, one that was the sign of death. One of the doctors was holding his child...who wasn't crying or giving any signs of life. The air was knocked out of Yusaku as he heard the doctors calling out orders.

"Get me 50 cc's of blood stat!"

"I need a cauterizer now! She's hemmoraging!"

"Find me the smallest respirator you can, I don't care how small, _find it!_"

"Fujiki-san?! Fujiki-san!" Yusaku dropped to his knees as he heard the nurses and doctors desperately cry out for his wife's response, or were they calling out for him? Either way, the world around him began to fade away as his friends rushed towards the hacker.

* * *

"Yusaku...Yusaku? Yusaku!"

Yusaku gasped for air as he was brought back to reality, looking around and seeing his friends' worried gazes. "wha...Aoi!" Yusaku beagn to get up as he recalled what happened, Takeru and Shoichi immediately tried to keep him down. Jin looked shaken up by what he had seen with Miyu trying to calm him, though she looked upset as well.

"Yusaku, you need to calm down." Shoichi spoke, gently helping Yusaku to sit up, but Yusaku stood and gave a worried expression, one the older hacker hadn't seen since the two were forced to duel each other.

"Where's Aoi?!"

Miyu flinched at Yusaku's tone before the doctor came in front of the male. The look on his face foreboding bad news. Shoichi, trying to keep it together for everyone's sakes, went over to his brother and his wife, consoling the two as Kiku buried herself in Takeru's hold.

"I'm sorry Fujiki-san...your wife and child fought as much as they could..."

Yusaku felt the world turn again, falling to the ground in despair. "..." Everything felt like it was beginning to turn black again; dead? Aoi had survived Hanoi's bug and having her data deleted twice! Aoi always came back with the gentle smile Yusaku fell in love with and a soft apology. Instead, this was a poker-faced man and a stone-cold voice with words that were casual to anyone who suffered this kind of tragedy.

Yusaku grit his teeth, punching the nearest thing- a chair's leg-as he tried to stop himself from completely breaking down. "Aoi..."

Takeru looked at his devastated best friend, offering his hand to Yusaku. "C-Come on Yusaku...let's-" Takeru's words died in his throat, wanting to bring some hope to his friend. As much as he wanted to give Yusaku some hope, the situation was too grim to give any optimism.

Yusaku didn't seem to hear or notice Takeru, his mind blank as the information processed through his head, he tried to think of a way that this was just a bad dream; he'd wake up and Aoi would still be there. But his mind knew better than that...and he kept coming to the same conclusion.

This was real. Not a cruel trick.

Minutes passed before a baby's cry suddenly cut through the solemn air, Yusaku lifting his head once the sound reached his ears. Shakily, his legs forced him to stand back up, pushing past the doctor, he walked into the room and saw a bright red baby in the shocked nurse's arms, crying at the top of its lungs. Yusaku felt his heart relax as he heard the baby cry, but tighten once again as his attention turned to his wife's unmoving form.

_"Come on Aoi...please..."_ he thought as he went over to the bedside, looking for any signs that she could still be with him, but nothing was showing him a sign of hope. "Please...I can't do this by myself..." Yusaku took Aoi's pale hand in his own, internally flinching at how cold it felt. "Don't leave me alone..." he silently begged.

Suddenly, the heart monitor began to beep again. Aoi's eyes slowly began to open, Yusaku's own widening slightly at just what was happening in front of him. She slowly turned her head, seeing her husband's expression mixed somewhere between shock and fear.

"...Yusaku? What's...wrong?" His wife asked, her voice weaker and softer than he had ever heard it before...

But it was her beautiful voice: proof that she was still alive.

The male collapsed next to the bed, gently gripping his wife's hand a little tighter as he let out a shaky breath. "Aoi...thank god..." he muttered, his voice filled with relief. Aoi managed a small smile as she tightened her grip a little to assure him that she was still with him.

"Fujiki-san?" Yusaku looked up as he heard the nurse, who was gently smiling at him and Aoi. "Would you like to hold your daughter?" she asked, holding the small, crying bundle in her arms.

Ysuaku stood straight, almost robotic as he was handed his child. The baby continued to cry in the hacker's arms, letting the whole world know that she was there. Despite not breathing minutes ago, she was crying as much as she could. Her eyes soon opening to reveal the same honey brown coloring as her mother's. At the bleary sight of her father, the baby's cries softened slightly, mixing with a curious coo as she reached out for her father. The hacker finally managed to let a small smile break through his features, gently letting his hand brush against the baby's own. A toothless smile graced the newborn's features as their hands connected.

"That's right Ayu, that's Papa..." Aoi giggled softly, a few tears of joy collecting as she watched the scene in front of her.

"Ayu?"

"It has a nice ring...Fujiki Ayu...What do you think?"

Yusaku looked back down at the child, watching as she was starting to drift off. "Yeah...Ayu works..." he agreed, shifting so that Aoi could hold their daughter. "I'm so happy you two are okay..." he placed his hand on Aoi's shoulder, feeling relief when Aoi's returning warmth seeped onto his skin.

"Of course, there's no way I would leave you alone...we have a whole new life together with her." Aoi replied, leaning up slightly as Yusaku leaned over to kiss her.

_"And I promise..."_ Yusaku thought, watching as their friends entered the room to see the newborn baby.

_**I will protect that life...**_

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**AnimeGirl426:** I'm so sorry if the ending seems a little rushed! I hope you guys liked it!

I want to make more, but i'm worried that I'm making Yusaku OOC...I'll try to get better at it though!

Comment and share the story! The more feedback, the better chance I'll write more!

Until Next Time!

_**-AnimeGirl426**_


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